← Back to Sleep for Surgeons
Waking refreshed
We sleep in 90 minutes sleep cycles which vary in consistency through the night. In the first half of the night we get more deep sleep and in the second half of the night we get more REM, or ‘dream’ sleep.
At the end of each sleep cycle, we are very lightly asleep or actually awake (which we may or may not remember the next day), a state which allows us to scan our environment for danger. This is the time when we would naturally be roused by the crowing of cockerel or the awareness of dawn, in the days when we did not have alarm clocks. This is the part of our sleep when we naturally want to wake up because we are the most lightly asleep.
At the end of each sleep cycle, we are very lightly asleep or actually awake (which we may or may not remember the next day), a state which allows us to scan our environment for danger. This is the time when we would naturally be roused by the crowing of cockerel or the awareness of dawn, in the days when we did not have alarm clocks. This is the part of our sleep when we naturally want to wake up because we are the most lightly asleep.
If you’re startled from deep within a sleep cycle, particularly in the first half of the night where you’re most deeply sleep, you can experience sleep inertia, or sleep drunkenness. This significantly affects your ability to think clearly and is a problem for shift workers who need to make judgements, e.g. in healthcare or the military. It also makes you feel rubbish.
If you typically wake groggy in the morning, or find that you are snoozing a lot, it may be that either you’re not getting enough sleep (listen to my expert conversation with Caitlin Chasser at time stamps 30:07 and 40:08, where we talk about this), or that you are waking deep within a sleep cycle.
If you typically wake groggy in the morning, or find that you are snoozing a lot, it may be that either you’re not getting enough sleep (listen to my expert conversation with Caitlin Chasser at time stamps 30:07 and 40:08, where we talk about this), or that you are waking deep within a sleep cycle.
Things you can do
Get enough, good quality sleep
To feel well rested, you need to get enough (length), good quality (depth) sleep.
You can track your sleep using trackers worn on the body (finger, wrist, arm, chest, etc), or not on the body (on your phone or under your mattress, etc) or you can manually work it out, using a sleep diary. You can also have sleep studies done either the privately or via your GP if you have sleep problems.
Some people get anxious about, or obsessed with, tracking their sleep, something called Orthosomnia. If this is the case for you, either don’t use trackers, or check them infrequently, e.g. once a week, to minimise constant monitoring.
Related Resources
Aim to wake light
One way to wake light in your sleep cycle is to design your sleep length intentionally, as follows. This only works if you aren’t being woken randomly in the night, e.g. by children, partners or pets:
- Work out the time that you want to wake
- Work back from that time in 90 minute blocks (feel free to tweak these according to personal tracking as everyone is slightly different)
- Add the latency (the time it takes you to fall asleep, usually 10-20 minutes) and you'll identify the time you want to switch your lights out.
- Set a digital sunset/wind down alarm an hour prior to that.
A second way to wake light is to use a light clock (like a Lumie lamp) to simulate dawn. E.g. You could create a 30 minute ‘dawn’ around the time that you want to wake, and then have a back up alarm on your phone or alarm clock in case you don’t.
Related Resources
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